


a midnight treaty

by Acacius



Category: Vampyr (Video Game)
Genre: (rats only), Animal Death, Gen, Human!McCullum, Pacifist!Jonathan, Pre-Slash, also both of them like cats, also headcanons galore, and mccullum being easily flustered, but also yes this is really self indulgent, like jonathan having no idea what personal space is, sorry I don't make the rules - Freeform, tfw u end up sharing ownership of a pet with your worst enemy, tho to be fair jonathan is easily flustered too
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-08
Updated: 2018-07-08
Packaged: 2019-06-07 01:45:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,306
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15208139
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Acacius/pseuds/Acacius
Summary: In the midst of another verbal sparring match, Jonathan Reid and Geoffrey McCullum are interrupted by the persistent mewling of a stray kitten.





	a midnight treaty

“What are you doing wandering Whitechapel, leech?” McCullum asked, tone as acrid as usual. 

“Is it a crime to visit a sick patient? I am a doctor. My sudden acquisition of fangs does not nullify my medical degree.” With folded arms, Reid leaned against the brick wall that lined the otherwise empty alleyway. Before he ended the epidemic, the hidden alcove had been home to a host of ill-formed Skals. Now, it had apparently become a favorite ambush spot of London’s resident fanatic vampire hunter. Besides Ichabod Throgmorton, that is. 

The hunter chuckled. “Funny. I think turning into a blood-drinking monster is a good enough reason to have anyone’s medical license revoked.” 

As was customary when dealing with McCullum, Reid found himself running a tired hand down his face, unable to contain his look of displeasure. “How many times must I tell you that after my dear Mary’s death, I have not dug my fangs into a single innocent?” 

“Yet. You’ll break. No leech can escape the desire for blood. It’s just in your disgusting nature.” 

“I don’t have time for this,” the doctor started, attempting to leave the alley, only to be blocked by McCullum’s sinewy frame. Reid glared, but kept his fists balled to his side despite his mounting frustration. “Step aside, hunter. Ms. Popa is anemic and needs this medication delivered tonight.” 

“And why is she anemic? Have you been paying her so you can have your fill of blood freely? Taking advantage of a poor, destitute woman is low, even for you.” 

“How dare you accuse me of something so vile!” Reid snarled. “I am merely trying to keep this city afloat, yet you accost me at every turn! One day, someone will die because of your arrogance, and their blood will be on your hands. You say that Priwen does not kill humans, but you and your lot are directly interfering with my duties as a doctor!” 

“You mean we’re interfering with your meals. I won’t let any vampire run rampant in London, even you, Reid. I owe you a life debt, that is true, but that doesn’t mean I’ll let other people suffer for my mistakes.” 

Reid suddenly held up a hand, eyes looking over the hunter’s shoulder. “Quiet. Behind you.” 

Reluctantly, the hunter turned, peering into the dark. Though he could not see anything against the dense London fog, a soft mewl still reached his ears.

“What in the world—“ 

“Hush. Don’t scare it away.” 

As the bloodsucker stalked forward with all the grace of a predator, McCullum recalled a time when he had found Reid with a rat in his mouth. It had been equal parts revolting and amusing, given the speed at which the doctor dropped the carcass and went to wipe the blood from his mouth. He had looked sheepish and young, completely different from the elegant and proper gentleman he acted as when he wandered the streets. 

Still, a monster was a monster, and the sudden realization spurred the hunter into action. 

“Wait, leech, don’t you dare!” McCullum said, rushing over to the man crouched by the wall. 

“Hmm?” Turning towards McCullum, the doctor merely cocked his head to the side. “What? Did you actually think I would eat a kitten? I really must seem like a monster in your eyes.” 

Sure enough, nestled safely in the crook of Reid’s arm was a black kitten with almost comically large green eyes. It blinked owlishly at the hunter, letting out a drawn-out, fanged meow. 

“Well I’ll be damned… the thing actually likes you.” 

“We are kindred spirits. We are both creatures with fangs, after all.” It was the closest to joking about his own vampirism that McCullum had heard from the doctor. For some reason, it was enough to draw a short chortle from the hunter himself. 

“Aye, and look at those eyes. Like they’re staring straight into my soul.” 

“Oh, is that another feature I share with this kitten?” Reid said with a teasing lilt, smiling at the hunter briefly before his gaze returned to the kitten that was currently toying with the lapels of his coat. 

McCullum cleared his throat, looking away from the damned vampire and his new thrall. “I know your kind can mesmerize folk. That’s all I meant by it.” 

“I see,” the doctor replied, rising to his feet. “Will you watch over the little one while I perform my rounds? We can meet back here around midnight, if you’d like. I only need an hour or two.” 

Before the hunter could respond, Reid was gently pushing the kitten into his arms, giving the creature a quick scratch under the chin. And then the doctor was gone in a puff of dark smoke, leaving McCullum alone with the animal. 

“Damn leech,” the hunter muttered, cradling the kitten to his chest. It mewled in his arms insistently, little teeth biting into the fabric of his coat. “God, you take after him already. Come on, let’s get you something to eat. Hope you like tuna, furball.”

…

When Reid returned to the alleyway, he half expected McCullum to have left with the kitten in tow. He knew the man wasn’t cruel, that he wouldn’t just leave the defenseless creature in the alley—but what the doctor stumbled upon was beyond his imagination. 

The hunter had somehow dozed off, a stream of light snores escaping his lips as the kitten purred happily in his lap. There was an empty can of tuna and a bowl of water beside the man and at the vampire’s careful footsteps, the kitten’s gaze turned upwards towards him. 

Now, the doctor had a clear view of a cat collar, a simple red design with a golden bell. It rang as the kitten began to squirm, waking the dozing man. 

“What…” McCullum rubbed at his eyes, lips curling into a frown at the sight of the vampire. He reached down to stroke the kitten’s fur, glaring daggers at Reid all the while. “Good work, Gilgamesh. I should take you back to headquarters; you’ve a knack for alerting me to bloodsucking beasts already.” 

“Gilgamesh? Really? I was thinking of something like Hippocrates,” the doctor drawled. As the hunter’s glare intensified, Reid sighed. “Or we could go for something more… pedestrian. Like Richard. In reference to Richard Lower, the first physician to perform a blood transfusion.” 

McCullum wrinkled his nose. “No. Those names are awful. Gilgamesh was a Mesopotamian king and hero. If you want a more common name, then we should just call him Arthur or Alexander.” 

“I see we both have a trend in name choices.” Reid noted dryly, moving to sit cross-legged before the hunter. Though it was likely due to all his time interacting with patients, the man seemed to have no barrier when it came to personal space, knees knocking into McCullum’s as he scooped the kitten into his arms. 

“Watch it, vampire. I don’t want your claws anywhere near me,” McCullum hissed, uncomfortably aware of how close the bloodsucker’s hands had been to his crotch. 

“And I don’t want your blood on me. Don’t worry, I had a few rats on my way back.” With a chuckle, Reid wiggled his fingers in front of the kitten’s face. Sure enough, the kitten followed the movement eagerly, front and back paws kicking at the man’s fingers in play. “Perhaps you can help me hunt rats when you’re older, little one.” 

“I’ll teach him to hunt vampires,” McCullum retorted. 

“I’d like to see that, actually. Will you be leading him around town with a collar and leash? I’d advise against using red—if anything, that would catch a Skal’s attention.” 

“Shut up, leech. Like sending the cat out to hunt rats on his own is any better.” 

“Except cats have been bred to hunt rats. It doesn’t take Mendelian genetics to know that.” Reid paused, turning his gaze towards the hunter. It was time to change the subject. “How about a truce? We can call the kitten William, after William Marshall, the greatest vampire hunter who ever lived.” 

“Fine.” 

Reid rose. “Glad that’s settled. Now that my rounds in Whitechapel are done, I think I’ll return to Pembroke. I need to make more medicine for a few residents of the Docks.” 

McCullum grabbed the man by the shoulder, stopping him, once again, from leaving the alley. “Wait. What about William? I’m not going to let a leech take care of him.” 

“Oh, attached to the kitten already? That’s almost… heartwarming. Truly. But, I have errands to run and people to help. I am a doctor. William will be safe with me at Pembroke for the night. I swear it.” 

“An oath from a vampire means nothing,” McCullum started. “But I don’t have much of a choice, do I? I’ll come pick him up in the morning. If you harm him I’ll chain you up to a post using orichalcum and leave you to burn in the sunlight.”

“You have my word, McCullum. There is no safer place for a stray than at my hospital.” 

…

True to his word, McCullum begrudgingly trudged up the grand staircase of Pembroke Hospital, free of vampire hunting gear. After a few terse words with Dr. Swansea, McCullum had been given the location of Reid’s lodgings. The hospital was once again neutral territory now that the epidemic was over and McCullum had no plans to antagonize Reid in the same place where he had chosen to spare his life. The hunter could be somewhat rash at times, but he wasn’t a fool. 

Walking down the tiled hallway, McCullum peered quizzically at the empty exam room, continuing forward until he saw the leech’s nameplate. 

Upon entering, he was met with an unexpected sight. Jonathan Reid’s room looked positively human. While most vampires in London lived in either pristine mansions or decrepit, rotting houses, the doctor’s room was quaint. Sparsely decorated. Looked as lived in as McCullum’s room back at headquarters. There was nothing in the décor that screamed bloodsucker. It looked like any doctor’s living space, minus a few items that were clearly cherished by Reid. 

The man had a plant, to start with. Some sort of fern that looked well kept and lively, bright green leaves standing proudly by the corner of the room. A portion of the bookshelf featured an extensive collection on blood transfusions, which would have been worrying if the man wasn’t a doctor, but McCullum did recall that Dr. Swansea had said Reid was a pioneer in the art of blood transfusions—a title he received well before his un-death. Finally, Reid had comically hung a bowler hat and extra coat onto the skeleton by his bed. It was almost juvenile, but somehow, the hunter could see how it made sense. It wasn’t like he saw a coat hanger anywhere. And it was funny enough to rouse a small smile from McCullum, despite it all. 

McCullum’s gaze traveled to the sleeping vampire and the kitten that lounged lazily at the foot of Reid’s bed. William gave a soft cry at the sight of the hunter, hopping down clumsily to circle the man’s feet. 

“Yeah yeah, I’m glad to see you too, furball,” the hunter whispered, stroking the animal’s glossy fur. William gave a purr of approval, allowing the man to continue his ministrations until he grew tired and hopped back onto the bed to curl beside Reid. 

It was a disgustingly cute gesture—and McCullum cursed himself for even thinking that the bloodsucker could look endearing asleep. He should look dead, nonhuman. He should be sleeping in a coffin or somewhere underground. But here he was, looking perfectly normal, a slight warmth to his cheeks indicative of his nightly feasting on rats. Besides the heavy bags underneath his eyes, dark enough to look almost like bruises, Reid seemed healthy. Though the hunter knew that if he were to press a hand to the man’s chest, he’ d feel nothing. Perhaps a few sluggish beats to keep the blood circulating, but nothing like the strong, steady heartbeat of a warm-blooded human. 

With a frustrated sigh, McCullum reached a hand out to grab William, but left his hand hovering above the animal. The urge to test his hypothesis, to see if the man would truly be as cold and lifeless as he expected him to be, was almost too much to bear. Vampires were weakest when they were asleep—they were the closest to death when in sleep, never dreaming nor waking until the sun dipped below the horizon. Reid wouldn’t even stir if McCullum decided to drive a stake into his chest. Or so McCullum assumed. All the information he had received about vampires was second-hand, gathered by the only mentor he ever had. 

“Leech?” the hunter questioned, holding his breath as he waited for a response. Nothing. “Reid?” McCullum tried again. Still nothing. “Jonathan?” 

Silence. Carefully, McCullum placed a bare hand to the vampire’s chest. Despite the thin fabric that separated his hand from Reid’s skin, he was stunned to find that the vampire was warm. Not as warm as a healthy person, but much warmer than a corpse. He could also feel his heartbeat. It did beat in rhythm, but was sluggish. Lethargic in pace. McCullum counted only three heartbeats in fifteen seconds, indicating a resting heart rate of forty-five beats per minute. 

“Bloodsuckers make no sense to me,” the hunter muttered, stepping away. Reaching into his coat pocket, McCullum scrawled a quick note and placed it on Reid’s beside table to let him know that he had in fact come to pick up William. With the small bundle of black fur in his arms, he turned towards the door. 

“Goodnight, Reid. Or morning, I guess.” 

As the door clicked closed, a small grin tugged at the supposedly sleeping vampire’s lips.

**Author's Note:**

> i’d like to thank dontnod for making a game that hits so many of my favorite aesthetics. as a neuroscientist, there are very few games that let my more science-y side out to play. also, another shout out to dontnod for making a big deal about patient ethics/bioethics in general. i could rant for ages as to why stuff like this is important (even in a fictional game), but that’s a discussion for another time. 
> 
> anyway, will probably be writing more for vampyr. if y’all have anything u wanna see just hmu in the comments—i’d be down to write another chapter or two for this oneshot (i mean joint custody of a kitten? wonder how that’s gonna work out) if there’s any interest. but yeah, hope this was enjoyable and not too ooc?? i’m still warming up to the characters tbh.


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